First appointment recap

charbakes

So I went with my sister, mother, and best friend to my first appointment. The assisstant I had was very cheerful and seemed very eager to help. I'm a street size 14 so I was really nervous about finding a dress, and my fear were completely founded in reality, it turns out. I tried on 4 dresses and didn't find one.

The first dress I tried on was really disappointing from the start. I told her I wanted something modern, and she brought out a dress with long lace sleeves and it was obvious that this was the dress the started all the PS brides with. It was the quintessential "fat girl's dress." It also looked really antiquated and old-fashioned, like a lace dress from the late 80s.

The second dress was a mermaid dress with a tulle skirt and really heavy and intricate beading. I also thought this dress looked old-fashioned, and it was maybe 2 sizes too small. She tried to lace me into it and I could barely move my legs. Then my mother started with the comments, saying it made me look chunky, and that I looked like a sausage. My mother is PS too, and heavier than me, so I was a little surprised to hear it.

The third dress was a lace dress with a keyhole back, and by this point I was pretty fed up with the assisstant because she didn't understand what "modern" was and didn't seem to understand plus sizes. I couldn't get the dress over my hips, and the assisstant insisted on holding it up to me and having me "imagine how I'd look." It was humiliating.

After a bit of a clarification over what I was looking for she came back with a better style. It was a taffeta ball gown (but not princessy) with a beaded sash and I liked it on the hanger, but not so much on me. No one else liked it on me and we all agreed it made my lower half look completely enormous. The assisstant kept trying to talk me into the dress even after I said no.

Overall I'm not psychologically scarred by the experience but I'm definitely not happy. I left feeling like sh*t about myself and needed a long smoke to get over it. I don't know when I'm going to go dress shopping again but it sure as hell won't be any time soon.

jessbrooks1024

My first appointment went like that. The consultant basically told me I needed to order from a catalog

timsflower81

That is awful!  What kind of bridal salon did you go to ? was it a locally owned small one or a designer store?  I would have walked out.... I hope you'll try somewhere else - I really can't say enough good things about the Alfred Angelo signature store.. almost every dress I wanted to try on had a tiny size, medium size and a plus size.  Some dresses even had two plus size - a lower number like a 14 and a higher one like a 22 or 24.   Please don't get discouraged.  Don't settle for anything you don't feel 100% beautiful in!

Jlp818

So sorry to hear that!   You will find a beautiful dress that you love.  It can take some hunting!  You are in Vermont? While it looks like there are no Alfred Angelos there could you take a trip to Massachusetts one weekend?  They carry so many plus size dresses in all of their styles.  When looking around for bridal shops always call first and tell them your dress size and ask them specifically how many dresses they have in that particular size. 
Keep hunting!  You WILL find the one!!

QueerFemme

I agree with going to an Alfred Angelo store.  Also, I know I commented on your original post, but you have to make sure you call stores ahead of time. Don't waste your time with stores that don't have at least 5-7 dresses in your size.

I really encourage you to take a weekend trip to a major city somewhere that has an Alfred Angelo signature store and a store that carries the Mori Lee Julietta line.  They both have beautiful plus size collections, and none of them are typical fat girl dresses.  And honestly, at a street size 14, you are just barely in plus sizes anyway.

Keep your chin up. There are amazing dresses out there.  But, you have to do your homework and make the phone calls ahead of time.

kikirst33

I'm also a street size 14 and had similar issues.  I decided to go to David's Bridal because I knew that they would have dresses that would actually fit me and from there I could figure out what shape looked best on me.

I found out that the shape I thought I wanted made me look horrid - that's the benefit of trying on dresses.  I did try a few other shops but ended up bying my dress from DB becuase the dress looked fabulous and just made me feel good.

Don't give up!  As PP have suggested keep on trying and if you can get to a larger city with more options for larger sizes you will find something.  

cshuler

I acutally use TK to find a bridal salon in my area and my expereice was wonderful. I already had a dress in mind, but the store did not have it on hand for me to try on. Nevertheless, that did not stop the consultant from allow me to have a fashioin show of similar dresses so that I could get a idea of the feel of the dress that I did want. The shop was all-inclusive in the seamtress was on hand, etc. They are even holding my dress, eventhough I have paid for it and all alterations are completed, for me until I pick it up for my wedding. My advice: find a dress that you like than find the salon that can assist you into getting it.